Being an author is always full of unique challenges. That’s one of the reasons why it’s the best job in the world. There’s so much juggling you have to do. You have to make sure your characters are complex, human, and consistent. You have to create an interesting setting. Your plot has to hook people in, so they’ll actually want to read your work. Then, you have to combine all those elements, plus the ones I didn’t mention. If it all goes well, it should make for an amazing story. But there’s no challenge quite like beginning a story.
I’ll admit that beginning a story is a weakness for me. It’s why Silver Crescent took so long to come out. I must have restarted it at least a dozen times. I’m struggling a bit with the opening of Silver Storm now, but I’m trying the same strategy as Silver Crescent. Just keep writing. Once I get to the editing process, I can work on improving the story, especially the opening.
I think the reason starting a story is so difficult is because the opening sets the tone for the entire book. If your beginning is lackluster, it might drive potential readers away. Don’t get me wrong, the whole book should be good, but the opening has more pressure on it, in my opinion. I once read a book with an incredible beginning, but once I was a few chapters in, I realized that wasn’t much in the way of plot. It felt like a chore to read. I got to the end, hoping it would get better. It didn’t. That author knew the power of a good beginning, at least.
A book is the sum of its parts. Everything has to work together in harmony for the story to be good. Plot, characters, setting, all need to be good to justify to the reader why they’re spending their time reading and not doing anything else. But the reader may never get to see the quality of your writing if your opening doesn’t draw them in. Don’t focus on the beginning at the expanse of the rest of the story, but don’t ignore the power of a good opening, either.
